A New Sort of Power
by Labyrinth of Lies
Summary: For the last few months after Brad's reset, everything's been normal. Brad has taken on the form of a Pegasus stallion to live among the ponies, and had managed to make it three months without unusual events. However, after Scootaloo receives some fantastic news from her parents, everything changes in an instant. WARNING:THIS IS A DIRECT SEQUEL TO HUMAN NATURE AND THE AFTERMATH.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey! I'm back with another fic, which is direct sequel to Human Nature and The Aftermath. You will not understand eighty percent of everything written here if you have not read those.

Chapter 1

Storm's Observations

Scootaloo had left her home immediately after the candle incident. Obviously, it was a magical occurrence and she needed an expert. There were only two ponies with enough know-how to be able to come to any conclusion, and Scootaloo didn't feel like going to the library.

She spread out her wings, and flew to Storm Shadows' house. She knocked on the door, which was quickly answered by the white Pegasus. He was wearing a helmet.

"Can I come in?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yes! Put this on!" He slammed a helmet onto Scootaloo's head, and pulled her inside. Scootaloo saw Rainbow Dash's turtle, Tank, flying around with his little helicopter thing on his back.

"What's the helmet for?" Scootaloo asked the odd stallion.

"Rainbow was right! You only get hit in the head with a flying turtle-" He ducked to avoid Tank, "Once."

"Good to know." Scootaloo sighed. "Something finally happened."

Storm knew instantly what she was talking about. "What was it? Magical, I assume?"

"My parents said they were having a foal, and I started cheering, then the candle flame got really big. It was like the more excited I got, the bigger the fire got."

"A foal? I'll have to congratulate them on it. Otherwise, I'll write to Celestia about it. Do you want me to try and give a diagnosis right now?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright, then we'll have to have a test. So, you said that the fire reacted to your emotion?" Storm confirmed.

"Yeah."

"So, then I'll set something on fire! Look at that plant!" Storm suggested.

"Bu-" Scootaloo was cut off by the plant in the corner bursting into flame.

"Now, concentrate on something either really happy or really sad," Storm instructed.

"Okay..." Scootaloo decided to pick a sad memory. There were more of them. She looked back on her time as a slave, when she was separated from her parents just two months after being enslaved, where she was then beaten by an abusive owner, each and every day, until Scootaloo snapped and kicked him in the gut. He threw her off his second-floor apartment, and both of her hind legs were broken as a result.

On the outside, a single tear fell from the filly's eye. The fire flared up, and scorched the ceiling. Storm Shadows immediately put it out with a small burst of magic, then returned the plant to life.

"Well, that answers that question," Storm identified. "I'll write to the princess, but in the meantime, go home and get some rest, and try not to heighten your emotions."

"M'kay," Scootaloo shrugged, and trotted out the door.

Storm was in a bit of a panic. He had expected side effects from the reverse, but nothing to such a scale. He magically removed a quill and parchment, and began to write.

_Dear Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,_

_It's happened._

_I've seen proof. Scootaloo has shown a side effect from the combination youth restoration and keeping her memories. However, unlike my revival, it isn't a change on the outside. She has displayed a new kind of magic, one that I can't fully understand. She came to me saying that a flame of a candle flared up when she got excited, and when I tested this by having her think of something sad or happy, while I set something on fire. The fire flared up enough to scorch the ceiling, and then I put it out. My guess: She's been given a sort of power over the element in question. Either that, or Discord is involved. I mean, checkerboard snow and rain in Manehattan? There's something off about what's going on, and I need some help figuring it out. I'll send you another letter if it gets bad enough to require direct goddess involvement, I'll send another letter._

_However, on a more positive note, why not a little update! I have a fillyfriend, and her name's Rainbow Dash! What's going on in Canterlot?_

_From your magical friend,_

_Storm Shadows_

He finished his letter, and teleported it to the princesses. He waited, and another letter appeared in front of him.

_Dear Storm Shadows,_

_It still feels strange to call you by that name. And dating Rainbow Dash? That's a nice way to start off your new life. Things are fine in Canterlot, but that's not the topic of discussion._

_Scootaloo has shown a type of power that both Celestia and I recognize the circumstances of, but know nothing about. This hasn't occurred in over two thousand years, and we must consult the royal archives to see if we can find any information, but we cannot confirm anything as of the given time. I wish you further success in determining the nature of Scootaloo's condition._

_Luna_

Storm set the letter down. _Well, shit,_ He thought.

«{[()]}»

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was just entering coastal airspace. She had received a letter via Spike mail on her way telling her to relocate to the east, as the clouds had moved.

_I hope he's doing alright with Tank,_ She thought. _He tends to go a bit crazy with the propeller._

The weather was indeed insane. Clouds covered the sky in the informed checker pattern, alternating between snow and rain.

Rainbow flew over to a nearby Pegasus, who was floating there, gawking at the clouds.

"Oh thank Celestia you're here. These clouds have been running rampant for days, and just watch what happens when somepony tries to touch them," She said, then told a nearby Pegasus to move the cloud.

He nodded, and kicked it. Rather than moving, the cloud absorbed his foot, then sucked him in. It spat him back out a few seconds later. He was unharmed, but it was still strange.

"Um... I have no idea what to do about this," Dash admitted.

"Fantastic. Even the greatest weather patroler can't get rid of these. Worst of all, there's a rogue storm brewing, and we can't do anything about it."

"I'll see what I can do," Rainbow said.

"We'll try anything to sort this out!" She exclaimed.

"Gather all of the Pegasi around here, and we'll try to create strong enough winds to push away the clouds. Are there any villages nearby?" Dash asked.

"A small coastal village. Shall we tell them to evacuate?"

"I'll help with that. You never know, right?" Rainbow Dash shrugged. She flew down to the village resting on the edge of the sea, where most of them were frantic about the odd weather. She began to search the wooden houses, telling everypony to leave. She soon came to a small hut closer to the sea to the rest. She poked her head inside, where she found a filly crying in the corner, and her parents trying to calm her down.

The filly had a turquoise coat and seafoam-green mane, the pony Rainbow recognized from the mind wipes as Seafoam Shells. She had a uncontrollable flow of tears streaming from her eyes, and there was water coming in through the floor.

"What's wrong?" Dash asked.

"She just burst into tears after the weather started, then the water started going crazy! We can't calm her down!" her mother said.

"Go get everypony out!" Dash ordered. "I'll get her to safety!"

Seafoam's parents agreed, then ran outside. Rainbow Dash placed a comforting hoof on the filly's shoulder. She was able to sympathize with her, after all, she had known her in the war. "What's wrong?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"W-war flashback," Seafoam sniffled.

"I'm sorry, but you need to try and calm down," Dash requested. She felt a small nagging in the back of her mind, signifying an incoming mental transmission.

_Rainbow, what's going on over there? I can feel the power from Ponyville,_ Storm echoed into her mind.

_Three words: it's Seafoam Shells. She had a war flashback after the crazy clouds got here, and now the water's going crazy. She won't stop crying, and the ocean's getting worse,_ Rainbow Dash replied.

_Damn it! I'll be right there, just hold on!_ With a flash of white, Storm Shadows appeared in the hut. "Told you. I've already dealt with this sort of thing with Scootaloo, so I know what to do. Scootaloo came to my house telling me that a candle had flared up when she got excited, so I can only assume this is the same principle. They're both memory keepers, so it's likely safe to assume Seafoam has been given similar powers, just over water instead of fire."

"As if we didn't have enough problems already," Rainbow Dash joked. "You calm her down, I'll go finish the evacuation." With that, she left.

"Seafoam?" Storm said tentatively.

"Oh thank Celestia it's you!" She threw her arms around the stallion.

"Now, listen closely. You need to calm down, because your emotions are making the ocean go crazy. No time to explain, just do it."

"I-I'll try," Seafoam replied. She closed her eyes, and took a few deep breaths. She felt her tears cease, and the ocean water receded from the hut.

"Seafoam, I'll get in contact with you when I figure out what's happening. In the meantime, try to keep your emotions under control, positive or not," Storm ordered.

"M'kay," Seafoam complied, and Storm left the home. He found the clouds to be dispersing from the sky, in a seemingly random pattern. He hadn't noticed it until now, but the clouds definitely gave off a small amount of magical power. They weren't even a phenomenon. Some bastard was doing this intentionally.

"How'd you do it?" Rainbow Dash asked, landing next to her coltfriend.

"I dunno. Guess I'm just good with kids," Storm supplied.

"Then we should get back. Have any trouble with Tank?"

He reached up and knocked on his helmet. "That's why I have this. Propeller-powered turtles hurt."

Rainbow laughed. "Yep. Fly or teleport?" Dash asked.

"Which one do you want?" Storm asked.

"I'd rather fly, but considering what we're flank-deep in, we might wanna teleport."

"Teleport it is then!" They ran inside a nearby hut, and Storm transported them into his house.

Rainbow picked up Tank in her mouth, and set him on her back. "See Ya tomorrow?" Dash asked.

"Little kiss before you leave?" Storm requested. Dash complied, and they gave a little one before she left.

Storm sighed. Up until this point and since the end of war, his life had been easy and great. Fantastic fillyfriend, lots of friends, and magical power beyond belief. He trotted out the door, where Rainbow still stood, gawking at the sight before her.

Half of Ponyville was burning.

Various Pegasi were trying with little avail to put it out with rain, so any help would obviously be appreciated. Rainbow Dash went to gather up as much clouds as she could, while Storm went to find Scootaloo.

He placed a powerful fireshield around himself, and poked inside her house. Her parents weren't there, but Scootaloo was. She was sitting in the center of the blaze, but wasn't in pain. She was just sitting there crying, not-so-blissfully unaware of what was going on around her.

_Well,_ Storm thought, _this pretty much solidifies my conclusion. A filly with fire powers. What else will I have to deal with in my life?_ He chuckled a bit. He would have to deal with a lot. After all, he was immortal.

He tried to get her attention, but received no reaction from the filly. Finally, he settled on one thing, and hit her with a sleep spell. The fires didn't just die, but the rain was working now. The fires gradually began to die out, and Storm picked up the sleeping filly and carried her outside. The Pegasi had finished with the fires, but all were grief stricken by the sudden loss.

"And that," Dash said from the air above him, "Is why I have a cloud home."

"I'll have to get one of those. Otherwise, the rebuilding needs to start now. In the meantime, I'll place Scootaloo in a comatose state, while I find the other two foals with their memories." He set Scootaloo on the ground.

"Maybe one day we'll get to be normal couple," Dash said wistfully. "But with you, I can't really see that happening."

"This is the truth. When I find the other two, which I remember correctly, were colts by the name of Starstreak and Cyclone, I'll get Seafoam, and bring them all here."

"Sounds good. Looks like we get to prevent disaster again, huh?"

"It's a little fun. Bye!" He teleported to Canterlot, hoping nopony saw a Pegasus use magic. The world didn't know about Conduits, and he intended to keep it that way. Truth be told, he could have been better prepared.

He was instantly swept up into a tornado whirling right through the center of town. He whirled around in it for a few seconds, then regained a stable flight. He used his wings to reach the bottom of the cyclone, where, sure enough, he found Cyclone. However, the effects on him were more than just the wind powers.

He was now a Pegasus.

The colt used to be an Earth Pony, but he guessed the return had the potential to cause something like this. He had modified the spell to make everypony think any physical changes had been like that forever, but he hadn't expected something like this.

Cyclone was sitting in the bottom of tornado, crying his eyes out. It looked like a war flashback hit all of them at the same time, and was causing minor mass chaos.

He had no choice. Over the roaring winds, there was no way to speak to him. He hit the colt with a sleep spell, and the tornado instantly disappeared. Both of them fell to the ground, and Celestia appeared by their sides.

"Well, I see you fixed things," She said. "We've made a breakthrough on Scootaloo's condition."

"Go on," Storm urged.

"My sister and I found the book in the deepest sections of the archives. As it turns out, she's been granted a long-forgotten power that we thought had gone extinct quite some time ago. However, we noted that each of the recorded cases were caused by rogue spells, and were extremely dangerous. The effects of your spell has left them all with a magical state almost entirely unknown by the populace. Scootaloo is an Elemental."

"And Seafoam, as well as Cyclone. We can only assume Starstreak is one as well," Storm stated, and then teleported the colt back to where Scootaloo was still sleeping.

"Find him, and write if anything bad happens, besides what's already been done."

"Alright. Any clue on the whereabouts of Starstreak?"

"Last I checked, he was living in Fillydelphia. The dark blue Earth Pony, correct?" Celestia inquired.

"Dammit. He was a Pegasus. Cyclone was an Earth Pony, now he's a Pegasus. I'm just glad only two of them changed," Storm sighed.

"Farewell," Celestia flew off. Storm teleported to the indicated city; finding her to be correct. Spires of rock had shot out at all angles from the ground, and he found Starstreak lying in the street, crying.

He wasted no time hitting him with a sleep spell, and setting the colt on his back. He teleported the Seafoam's village, and got her as well. He teleported back to where he had left the other two. Three of them were sleeping.

Assuming that they had had enough time to work things out in their sleep, he woke them up. They all woke up with depressed looks on their faces, but nothing bad happened.

"So, big news. You're all the most dangerous sort of magical being in Equestria, besides yours truly," Storm said outright.

"Wait..." Cyclone suggested. "I know you guys! You're the ones that asked to keep your memories!"

"Yeah," Storm replied. "I'm Bradford, in pony form. Don't tell anypony, or I'll wipe their memories. Remember how I said there might be side effects? Well, as a result, you've all been given power over a certain Element, while Starstreak and Cyclone apparently switched forms. I'm sorry, but I can't fix that. The pony nervous system is a bit too complicated for even me. But anyway, it looks like your power was revealed when you all had your flashbacks, strangely at the same time."

"So... I have fire?" Scootaloo asked in confirmation.

"Since the town caught fire when you had yours, it's safe to say so. Seafoam, you apparently have water, and Cyclone, because you unintentionally created a tornado, I'm guessing you command air. Funny how fitting your names are for them. Starstreak, it looks like you got earth, on account of the rock spires you made in Fillydelphia."

"So..." Cyclone trailed off," What happens now?"

"I train you. It's either that or risk destroying some of the major cities," Storm joked. "Twice."

"Is anypony gonna help?" Seafoam asked.

"I'll join in," Rainbow Dash said from behind them. "No reason for me not to help the ponies who'll probably end up taking the fourth to seventh positions of most powerful."

"Sweet. Trainees and my fillyfriend. Now, you won't be allowed to go home until I deem you fit to control your powers. We'll be training in the same place I did, fifteen leagues away. The portal should still be there, so..." He trailed off.

"What portal?" Scootaloo asked.

"Oh, crap. That's right. The portal leads to what I think's a different dimension, where the air is literally composed of magic. If I do it correctly, I should be able to manipulate the area for you guys, because it's not safe to assume you can absorb magic. Come!" Without warning, he teleported them to what used to be Raven City, and luckily, the portal still stood in it's center.

"Fantastic!" Storm exclaimed. "It's still here!" He took off in a gallop toward the portal, and stood in front of it. "Let me just..." He summoned his scythe, something that hadn't been done in a while. He levitated it into the lock, and turned. "Here. I'll place shields around you all that should resist the magical influence." He did so, and they stepped through.

The area inside was unchanged, much to the delight of the white stallion. "Oh, this is great! For the first time in my two lives, something's going according to plan!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot that you came back from the dead," Dash recalled. "You're strange, you know that?"

"I think that's why you're willing to date me," Storm observed. "Life's rarely normal when you're around me. Now, here's how we're going to do this. If I'm correct, the books once mentioned something right..." He began to move his hooves around on the building's wall, then a small click was heard. "Here."

The wall slid open, revealing a staircase. The only one who wasn't hesitant to descend it was Storm Shadows, who immediately began to trot down them, humming to himself.

"Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked her idol. "Why are you dating him?"

"I don't really know. I might be attracted to the fact that he has enough power to obliterate Equestria, or it might be his personality. Might be both," Rainbow Dash philosophized.

"Works for me," Scootaloo replied, then began to trot down the staircase. It took about ten minutes to walk all the way down, but found it to be well worth it. They emerged on a balcony, where there was a cross bridge over a very large space, which was entirely flat ground of rock.

"Welcome to whatever the hay this room is called!" Storm cried out. "If the books didn't lie to me, it'll give us whatever we need for training! As soon as you set hoof on the ground, it will react to however I say! Not you, because it only obeys the strongest power in the room. Look, I'll show you." He jumped off the bridge, fell ten feet to the ground, and as soon as he made contact, a target dummy sprang from the ground. "See? Scootaloo, you go first."

Scootaloo hesitantly obliged, using her wings to slowly glide to the ground. As soon as she made contact, several target dummies sprung up around her, and the ground beneath her feet burst into flames. "It... It doesn't hurt," She said in astonishment.

"Well, duh," Storm mocked. "You're a fire Elemental! Both it's controller, and resistant to it! Cyclone, I don't have any idea what it'll do to you, so come on down!"

The colt nodded, a descended to the ground below him. Several dummies burst forth, but nothing else. "Nothing happened," Cyclone whined.

"I should have expected that. Air isn't really something that can be seen, so it's just using the air around you," Storm observed.

"I'm next!" Seafoam cried, then jumped. The fall could have easily broken a leg, but to the surprise of those around her and herself, the ground turned to water as soon as she touched it, and a few dummies came from around the pool. Seafoam came up for air, surprised at what happened. The poll was several feet deep. "Wait... What?"

Rainbow Dash laughed. "I've got this one. We all should have seen that one. Water equals water. The ground changed to suit her element."

"Starstreak!" Scootaloo called out. "You're next!"

"Alright..." Starstreak trailed off as if debating it in his head. "Wait. I'm not a Pegasus, so that fall might hurt a little."

"Here," Rainbow Dash said, wrapped a leg around him, and flew him down to the ground. She dropped him from a few feet, and the marble floor turned to rock while the dummies sprang up.

"Excellent. Now, I'll just do with you what was done with me," Storm stated. "I'll sit back while you try to figure yourselves out. Have a bit of fun, and know that you'll most likely be here for around six months, so, you know, time is a principle here."

"Won't somepony get worried?" Seafoam asked.

"Maybe, but not too badly if we're only gone for six days. Time moves a helluva lot faster in here than it does on the outside, so a month in here is only a day on the outside. I would know; I spent a month in here every day for six months on the outside. It slows the aging process, so thank Celestia for that or I would be around thirty."

"Wow. You spent fourteen years in here?" Starstreak inquired.

"Now that's a good head on your shoulders," Storm complemented. "Math's hard. Get going! I'll find something to do while you're at it, so just ask Rainbow a question if you have it!" He ordered, flew up to the cross bridge, and galloped out the door.

"Um..." Scootaloo hummed, "I have no idea what to do."

"Maybe focusing really hard?" Seafoam suggested while paddling around in her pool.

"At least you guys have things to focus on," Cyclone complained. "I can't see mine."

"Just keep calm," Rainbow suggested. "You know what happens when you get really happy or sad."

"Idea!" Scootaloo cheered. "Let's do what Storm's book is saying he did when trying to find his magic! Just search your brain!"

"Worth a shot, I guess," Starstreak said.

"I'll go first!" Scootaloo volunteered, then closed her eyes. She began to focus on looking around in her memories, which was immediately found to be difficult. Tue filly was always a bit hyperactive, and found it difficult to concentrate for long.

However, despite these obstacles, she succeeded in creating a mental clone of herself, just like Storm does when searching his mind. And, regardless of popular belief, this isn't impossible when you don't actually have magic. Scootaloo just controlled fire, but not with magic. It's complicated.

She began to float through her mind, looking at the strange labeled doors that had suddenly appeared. Rather quickly, her attention was drawn to one door in particular, mainly because it was on fire. She floated over to it, and touched a hoof to it. On the inside, not much happened except for a little glimmer of light when she touched it.

Then, Scootaloo was thrown from her own mind, and witnessed what was going on outside. Tongues of flame were flicking out from the flaming patch of ground, and when Scootaloo focused hard enough, she could make them move, of only slowly. They touched a dummy, leaving a few little singe marks.

"That's awesome!" Seafoam cheered.

Scootaloo couldn't keep them for much longer. The strings of fire sunk back into the larger flame at her feet. "Works for me."

The others wasted no time in trying to find their own power. However, their focus was interrupted by an earth-shattering explosion that sounded from the ground above them followed by the shout of Storm Shadows. "I said set phasers to stun, Captain!"

"He's completely insane," Starstreak observed.

"Maybe, but I love it. Makes being with him just a bit more fun," Rainbow said from the bridge.

Another explosion. "What part of 'Stun' don't you understand?!" Storm yelled. One more 'Boom.' "Too much energy!"

"Celestia, I better go check on him," Rainbow said, then began the trot up the stairs.

"All hail the mighty Laser Cannon Pony!" Sounded from up the stairs, followed by another explosion.

"Definitely nuts," Seafoam concluded.

"Yep," The others said in synchronization.

«{[()]}»

The others attempts at harnessing their abilities had met with similar results as Scootaloo's. Seafoam almost drowned inside the pool while trying to get them going, and only managed to get a little water to squirt from the pool at the dummies. Cyclone had managed to get a little wind going, but nothing more. Starstreak had gotten a few rocks to rise of the ground, and tossed them lightly at the dummies.

Rainbow Dash came back down the stairs. "I manages to get him to stop playing with giant magical lasers, but I think he's going to try something else soon, so you might want to-" She viewed the foals successfully getting results. "Wow. You work fast."

They all broke their concentration, losing their hold on their elements. "Can we have some lunch?" Seafoam requested. She tried to get out of her pool, but it just moved. "Also, I can't get out."

"I'll ask Storm to conjure us up a few things," Dash complied. As if on cue, five sandwiches appeared on the ground in front of her, followed by all four of the trainees being lifted onto the bridge by a white magical aura. "Wow. He works faster."

"Let's eat!" Scootaloo cheered, them dove face first into her sandwich, was found to be one of the sunflower variety.

Another one of Storm's insane shouts came down the stairs. "I have stripped myself of my identity as the Laser Cannon Pony! Now I shall be hailed as the Melon Lord!"

A watermelon bounced down the steps. The five just stared at it.

This was going to be a long six months.

«{[()]}»

**A/N: **So, yeah. If you haven't guessed already, the Elemental powers are inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender. I've always loved the last reference I just made, you know, the one about the Melon Lord. This story is gonna be filled with Avatar references!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: To avoid boredom, time skips have been made.

Chapter 2

Month 2 of Training

One month had passed, and Storm Shadows had stopped his insanity on the upper levels, and was now giving them head-on advice.

"Come on!" Storm urged Seafoam, "I know you can do better than that!"

"I'm trying!" Seafoam Shells whined. She was trying to make herself walk on water, to little avail. She had managed to get herself out as far as her knees once, but only once. Since then, she hadn't managed to get past the chest.

"I'll give you all candy if you complete your tasks!" Storm exclaimed. "Everypony likes candy!"

Indeed, they did like candy. Though they had already matured once, their foal-like desires had returned with their youth.

"Really?" Seafoam confirmed excitedly. In the small happiness of the moment, she had risen to the top of the pool, and stayed there.

"That worked even better than I expected," Storm observed.

"What work-" Seafoam looked down. "I'm walking on water!"

"Yes, yes you are. Here." He conjured up a small hard candy, and stuck it in her mouth.

Seafoam lost her focus when she tasted the apple-flavored sweet, and fell back into the water. She smiled happily.

"Cyclone! I want to hear the wind in my ears!" Storm shouted. "Remember the candy!"

He was having the most difficulty with his own element. There was a lot of air, and he had a hard time focusing on any of it at one time.

"Yes!" a shout of victory was heard from Scootaloo. She had successfully set the dummy on fire with the flame wires. She then tasted the apple candy.

"Starstreak!" Storm exclaimed. "Throw a rock at me!"

He had already gotten moving small rocks down, and was circling then around in the air. He was easily the best at the time. "Alright then..." He launched a rock from his floating arsenal, and though it didn't go very fast, it reached it's target.

However, as soon as came within a foot of their instructor, it was repealed at high speeds, right back at Starstreak. Luckily, the colt managed to suspend it back in his circle, just barely keeping it from hitting him.

"Don't throw rocks at me!" Storm yelled. "I'm your superior! Also, nice catch!" He conjured up another candy, and tossed it over to Starstreak, who lost his focus to catch it in his mouth, though he was confused. His rocks dropped to the ground.

"Looklooklook!" Cyclone shouted. He had created a small tornado on the ground, barely up the his knee. "I made a tornado!"

"Not the assignment, but I'll take it," Storm said with assent. "Incoming candy!" He tossed the candy into the tornado, it's controller losing focus to pick it up.

"They're going good," Rainbow said from the balcony.

"Indeed!" Storm agreed. "Now, I think I'll let them pick the next activity. Any suggestions?"

Cyclone raised a hoof. "A break?"

Storm sighed. "Fine. A day off can't hurt anypony. Well, not me. You can't touch me unless I want you to."

"Yeah, we know," Rainbow agreed. "You're the all-powerful Melon Lord. Can we go outside? Haven't felt anything but magic air in over a month."

"Yes!" Seafoam agreed.

"Fine. Be warned though, melons will fly," Storm threatened. They trotted up the stairs, and Storm unlocked the portal with his scythe. They proceeded through, only to be met with a truly unfortunate sight.

The checkered clouds were back.

"These damn things followed us here!" Rainbow shouted in annoyance.

"Laser Cannon Pony?" Storm asked permission.

"No lasers," Dash required. If it wasn't mentioned earlier, she had become a great deal more serious about things that aren't athletics.

"Aww..."

"Can I try?" Cyclone requested.

"Worth a shot as anything else, I suppose," Storm said. "Lucky she's here, lest there be lasers and melons flying through the air at the speed my fillyfriend."

Rainbow blushed a bit. "Thanks."

"Here we go!" Cyclone prepped himself, and concentrated on moving the air to create wind. The group felt a small breeze blow by, but nothing more. "Whelp, That was underwhelming."

"You'll get better," Storm consoled. "Besides, I have a pretty good idea of who's making these. Obviously, they're not normal. So, what creates utter chaos?"

They all knew the answer. "Discord."

"I'll be right back. I have to have some words with him. Meaning I'm going to beat him up until he tells me why in Tartarus he's making these. I thought he was reformed!" With that, the white Pegasus teleported to castle doors, and amplified his voice. He kicked open the doors, and yelled, "DISCORD!"

Naturally, the sight of a Pegasus with the voice of a thundercloud surprised everypony in the room, most of which proceeded to run. "No need to yell," Discord said from the potted plant. "What's the trouble?"

"Like you don't know. The checkered clouds!"

"What checkered clouds?" He replied with a shoulder shrug.

"You know I can beat you down. Get rid of them. They're causing war flashbacks for the foals who kept their memories."

"I didn't make them, so just go. But if it helps, I'll try to get rid of them," Discord said gruffly. Storm nodded in disbelief, but returned to the others, where the clouds were nowhere to be seen.

"Looks like it went well," Rainbow said.

"Uh... Guys?" Seafoam said, but got no attention.

"I had to threaten him, but it worked," Storm said.

"Guys!" Seafoam tried again.

"You should have just hit him. I don't care if he's reformed, he's still a jerk," Dash replied.

"GUYS!" Seafoam yelled.

"Wha-" Storm turned around, but was cut short by the sight of what Seafoam had been trying to get their attention about. A creature the size and shape of a stallion stood before them, but he was made of dark red mist. His eyes were bright yellow, and appeared to float in the vapor.

"You ruined my fun! I figured everypony would just assume it was Discord, but I didn't think anypony would actually do anything about it!" The mist pony said with exasperation.

"And who," Storm said with absolutely no panic in his voice. "Are you?"

"Demons don't get names in Tartarus. Just know me as one of the wind demons," It replied.

"Rainbow?" Storm asked.

"Yeah?"

"Run. Take them and run. I'm about to take care of a few things, meaning I'm gonna have to fight. This is a demon, one of the ones that belong in the depths of Tartarus. For some reason, my Grandad is slipping."

"Bu-" Rainbow tried to rebuff.

"No buts, just get them out of here! If I know anything about demons, which I do, this one could kill any one of you any second! I however, am a Conduit, so it doesn't matter! Go!" Giving them no more choice, Storm teleported his five members of his group to the top of the nearby hill. They were still just within earshot of the fight.

"I hate it when he does this," Rainbow said with irratance. "I know I can't help much, but I don't care. I'll give him for it later. later. For now, you four get to see my coltfriend kick flank, and with front-row seats."

"This is gonna be so cool," Scootaloo said excitedly.

"Will there be explosions?" Starstreak asked.

"Knowing him, yes."

Back down at the scene of the fight, Storm was already preparing himself. "How'd you get out?"

"I'll never tell," The demon replied.

"Then I'll just have to put you away again," Storm replied.

The demon burst out laughing. "You! A Pegasus! I might be able to understand a Unicorn, but you?!"

It was Storm's turn to laugh. "You really don't know who I am, do you?"

"Who? The overconfidence colt?" He said in another fit of laughter.

"Wrong. I'm the one who's going to kick your flanks."

All but Rainbow Dash had never seen Storm in close combat, even while he was a human, so what happened next astounded the group of foals.

"Shame. I was kind of hoping I'd have to change forms for this fight, but I don't really think I'll have to." With inequestrian speeds, the white stallion moved forward, turned around, and delivered a swift kick to the demon's face. It contacted, and the surprised demon flew backwards.

The demon stood up, a look of astonishment on it's face. "Well. Certainly wasn't expecting that." With no more words, the demon charged the Conduit, only to have him disappear. Storm appeared behind him, but a massive gust of wind came from the ground, and sent Storm flying into the air. A ring of dark red mist came and bound his wings to his sides, taking away the ability of flight. The gust of wind sent him several feet into the sky, with no means to stop.

Oh, except for this.

"Either I'm getting stronger, or demon curses are getting weaker," Storm said to himself while still flying upwards. He easily broke free of the misty binds, and decided to end it now.

Two giant circles of white light appeared in the air next to him.

"He isn't," Dash said in disbelief.

"ALL HAIL THE LASER CANNON PONY!"

"He is."

The demon's eyes went wide with fear.

"FIRE!" The two circles shot downward, and the light engulfed the demon entirely.

"AUUUUGH!" the demon shouted before he was returned to his place in the place of eternal punishment. The rest of the group galloped back to where Storm had landed on the ground.

Rainbow Dash punched him in the side. "I told you to stop with the lasers!"

"I won, didn't I?" Storm defended. He knew Rainbow had become a great deal more serious in just a few months, but he still liked it.

Starstreak prodded at the ground where the laser had hit. "Wow. Not even a scratch. How?"

"Trade secret," Storm joked.

"It was awesome!" Seafoam cheered.

"See? Somepony likes the lasers."

"Meh," Rainbow Dash said indifferently.

"How'd a demon get out?" Cyclone asked.

"That," Storm admitted, "I have clue about. Nothing gets out of Tartarus. My own Grandad makes sure of that. So either he's slipping, or something's terribly wrong in the worst place in existence."

"Your Grandad?" Seafoam wondered.

"That's right, I never told you. I'm directly related to the god of Death. Fun, right?"

That got everypony but Scootaloo and Dash stunned. Their trainer was both insanely powerful, and the descendant of a god. None of them actually thought gods existed, but they knew better than to question Storm.

"I'll just get to Tartarus, and be back within a few minutes. Of course, that's assuming the gates holding everything in hasn't broken open, and I'll have to fight everything. Bye!" Storm teleported.

"So... What now?" Starstreak asked.

"We can't open the portal without Storm's thingy," Seafoam said, trying to remember what it was called.

"The scythe?" Rainbow Dash corrected.

"Yeah! The scythe!"

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to work on getting better control of my powers," Cyclone stated.

"Good enough for me," Starstreak said in assent, then lifted up a small rock. He began spinning it around casually.

"I can't make fire yet, so I guess I'm stuck," Scootaloo complained.

"No water around here," Seafoam said.

Any conversation was stopped by an ear-ringing explosion that sounded from the mountains.

"Was that Storm?" Cyclone asked.

"No," Rainbow responded. "That's not his power. Don't let your guard down, and be ready to run."

The four foals crouched at the ready, waiting for anything to happen.

Storm appeared in front of them, startling the group. "Get inside! Don't ask questions!" He unlocked the portal, and the six ponies sprinted inside as fast as they could. On the other side, they all caught their breaths.

"What *pant* happened?" Cyclone asked.

"First of all, we need to speed your training along as fast as we can. Second, the world is in crisis again," Storm explained.

"Celestia's mane, what is it now?" Rainbow asked irately.

"Well.."

«{[()]}»

_In Tartarus_

Storm had teleported directly to Rokon's palace, ready to scold him. He stepped into the throne room, ready to belittle a god. He couldn't have been more disappointed. On the throne sat not his grandfather, but the being that realized his worst fears.

Tanner.

Tanner was sitting on the throne.

"Well would you look at this. Bradford's here," Tanner said condescendingly.

"I don't go by that name anymore. Call me Storm."

"Fine, Storm."

"Why are you here?" Storm asked angrily.

"Did you know," Tanner mentioned while spinning a black sword in his hand, "That in our last battle, we had the power of the gods at our fingertips? I recently got the god of death's level of power, only to find that it was around fifty million. A little absorbing demons for a while, and I got what I needed. So, I killed him."

Storm was stunned. Despite his disguise, he had still been absorbing power constantly, and was probably around that, but Tanner had both escaped his eternal punishment, and killed The God of Death.

"YOU WHAT?!" Storm yelled.

"I killed him. Now I've got all the demons at my control. I already sent one, did you meet him?"

"I killed him!"

"Good. I wasn't expecting any less of you," Tanner said.

"What is it with you and war? Didn't you have enough when I put your sorry ass away?" Storm mocked.

"This isn't about conquest anymore," Tanner said, leaning towards his adversary, "This is about revenge. I'll kill everyone you know, especially your little girlfriend."

"Don't you fucking touch her."

"Looks like I hit a nerve. Now get out of here before I summon the guards."

Storm complied.

«{[()]}»

"So, yeah. That's how things are going down, and it's our job to stop it. And no, you don't have a choice," Storm stated. "I'm not fighting this one alone, and according to my theories, you all have a literally unlimited amount of potential. As long as your element's around you, you should be able to do what you want with it. There are no limitations, and theoretically, you should be on par with me when you get total control of your powers."

"So... How are you gonna get us there?" Seafoam inquired.

"I won't. You will. The four of you will stay here with Rainbow. Sorry, but I need to figure out if there's a way I can block any demons sent out by Tanner. Rainbow, I can't say how much I hate this situation, and I love you, but this requires us to be apart."

"I know. I know that both of us hate this, and I love you too. I'll see you when you get back," Rainbow Dash said sadly.

"I'm sorry. I'll be back as soon as I can, and here are your goals. Scootaloo, I want you to be able to make fire at will by the time I get back. Seafoam, I want you able to breath under the water. Not sure how you'll get that done, but I want it. Starstreak, I want you able to stand on a floating rock, and fly around with it. Cyclone, I want to hear the wind from Tartarus. Really get it going."

The foals nodded, and Rainbow Dash smiled. Storm hated these parts of his life.

The stallion turned and galloped out the portal.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Demons Don't Play Nice

One week had passed since anypony had seen Storm. By now, the four Elementals had made decent progress, but only Seafoam had actually gotten close.

She had come with the fantastic idea to simply move the water away from herself when she went under, but could only pull oxygen from the water for a minute or two.

Starstreak had managed to pull up a floating rock platform big enough for him to stand on, but he couldn't keep it floating while he was standing on it.

Cyclone still couldn't whip the winds up very well, but he had succeeded in getting his little tornado bigger.

Scootaloo had achieved small sparks on her target, but not enough to actually start the fire.

"Come on!" Scootaloo shouted angrily after her sixty-third failed attempt.

"Don't get mad," Rainbow Dash said from the cross bridge. "It'll only make it harder."

"It's already hard!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"Fine, then get mad. I don't care," Rainbow responded.

"Fine!" Scootaloo replied with unreasonable anger. She focused her will on the dummy in front of her, ready to spark it up.

She focused, and strained herself to set the dummy ablaze. A spark appeared, then the whole thing spontaneously burst into flames.

"Wow," Rainbow said. "Guess getting mad does have something to it." She looked at the stairs. "Look, I'll be right back. I have something that needs to be done. Just keep practicing." With that, Rainbow Dash departed up the staircase.

"What's she doing?" Seafoam wondered.

"I dunno," Starstreak replied while trying to step on the rock, which immediately afterwards causing him to fall flat on his face.

"I'll go check," Scootaloo said suspiciously. Rarely did her idol do something without good reason these days. She flew up to the bridge, then quietly trotted up the stairs. She found Rainbow Dash sitting on her haunches, her back turned towards the filly.

"Dear Journal. Yeah, I'm still calling it that. The whole 'Diary' junk still seems to girly. Too Rarity. Anyway, nopony has figured me out yet, and I don't think they will anytime soon. Storm's come dangerously close, but not quite. I love him, and wish we were spending a bit more time together, but with all that's happening, it won't be until he finished with everything. Knowing him, he should be back in a few days, with Tanner's head on a pike. Whelp, that's it. See you next week."

Scootaloo heard the sound of a book closing, and immediately flew down the stairs, careful not to make a sound.

_Horseapples,_ Scootaloo swore mentally. _I just listened in on Rainbow Dash's journal. What's she hiding that she can't tell anypony?_

Scootaloo landed back on the training ground, which instantly burst in flames. Rainbow came back down the stairs, oblivious to what had been done.

Scootaloo, however, was unable to hide her nervous look. Rainbow Dash was hiding something, and she had to figure out what it was.

"Something wrong, squirt?" Dash asked.

Scootaloo snapped back into reality. "Nope! Nothing wrong here!" She tried to make fire again, but found herself unable. Her mind was far too occupied with the principle that her idol had a big secret, something even her coltfriend didn't know about.

Rainbow had a suspicious look on her face, but turned away regardless. Scootaloo breathed a sigh of relief, and tried her best to conjure up her power once more.

«{[()]}»

Three hours later, it was time for the scheduled time of rest, sort of like night in the portal. Time didn't visibly pass in there, so the time slot was placed to ensure the four Elementals stayed healthy.

A door slid open on one end of the cross bridge, and the four foals stepped through. Inside were four made beds, ready for rest.

Rainbow just left. Nopony knew where she went at night, but until now, nopony had questioned it either.

Scootaloo stepped up on her bed, and sighed. The others had to know. "So, guys. I figured out what Rainbow Dash was doing the other day."

"Which was?" Cyclone inquired.

"She was talking to herself while she was writing in a journal. She said something about a secret that nopony knew, not even Storm. She said it's really important that nopony knows about it," Scootaloo regaled.

"So... Don't ask about it?" Seafoam confirmed.

"NO..." Starstreak said sarcastically. "Let's just come right out and say we know she's got some sort of crazy secret."

"I was just making sure," Seafoam said, insulted.

"Let's just go to bed. Who knows, maybe Storm'll be back tomorrow, and he can help us figure this out," Scootaloo said while getting underneath the covers.

"Sounds good to me," Cyclone sighed as he was doing the same.

«{[()]}»

Ten hours later, the room had lit up, signaling that the time of rest was over. The four rubbed the sleep from their eyes, and three of them jumped down, leaving Starstreak up top. Rainbow Dash flew him down.

Scootaloo had been unable to focus enough to use her powers since she eavesdropped on Rainbow. Her mind was filled with possibilities, and the others were no different.

Then the unmistakable sound of the portal opening echoed through the chamber. In the two pegasi flew up, and in the excitement of the moment, Seafoam burst upwards in a geyser of water, and Starstreak floated up on a rock platform.

They all galloped up the stairs as fast as they could, eager to meet their trainer again. However, when they reached the portal, they were met with a horribly gruesome sight.

Rainbow was freaking out at Storm's side, who looked as if he had barely made it into the portal. He had been cut in several places, as large bleeding gashes now covered his form. Both of his hind legs were broken at the knee, and his mane had been burned off. His ear had been nicked, part of being cleaved off. But that wasn't even close to the worst part. Both of his wings were missing, and were leaking blood from the stumps.

"WHAT IN TARTARUS DID YOU DO!?" Rainbow yelled.

"Listen," The broken Conduit said weakly. "There isn't much time. I can heal myself, but it'll take time. A strong demon's coming, and he did this. I have little to no doubt that he'll be able to get through the portal. He only did this because he surprised me, but there's no way you can fight him. Go through the front door of the hall, and get into a room made of crystal. I'll teleport there in a second, I just need to set up wards."

"But-"

"Go!" Storm shouted.

Too late.

The portal's doors flew from their hinges, and revealed the enemy. A large cyclops stood at the entrance, brandishing a sword in his mighty hand.

He raised his weapon, and brought it down on his already-wounded enemy. However, the weapon was stopped by a rather unlikely object, or rather, element.

The sword had been stopped by wind alone.

Cyclone was standing behind them, not really sure what he was doing. The wind picked up, and the sword was thrown from the cyclops' hand. It staggered back a few steps, and the winds began to grow stronger. They got faster and faster until the monster was on the edge of the plateau, and gave one last strong gust of air. The demon was blown clear of the mountain, and screamed all the way down, assuming there was an end to his fall.

Cyclone just stood there, unsure of what happened. He grinned. "That's right! Get outta here!"

Storm struggled to look at him. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it! I feel like I could do anything!" He began to sway, then passed out.

Rainbow laughed. "Looks like he did a bit too much. I'll get him inside." She took another look at her broken coltfriend. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'll be fine. I think. Just give me a second." He flipped himself over, and raised a hoof skyward. "Healing Moonbeam!" A ray of white light shot down from the sky, and his wounds began to heal. The cuts closed, his legs knitted, and his wings grew back. "It's good to be a Conduit. So, judging on what just happened, I take it we've made some progress?"

"No," Seafoam supplied. "That was just deadly motivation."

"Still good," Storm said. "Well, we have to leave anyway. They found the portal, and in turn, they found us. So, we'll just go back to Ponyville. I know, I know, it doesn't seem like the best idea. But that's where the Elements of Harmony are being kept, and if I know anything about demons-"

"Which you do," Starstreak interjected.

"Which I do, then they can't even get close to them. Touching it would mean instant death."

"Then let's go!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"We shall." With that, Storm Shadows teleported to the town. They appeared in the library, startling a certain egghead.

"Where in Tartarus have you been?!" Twilight questioned. "Everypony's been coming to me about Scootaloo!"

"Yeah, nopony's gonna worry," .

"Look, long story short. These four have been pegged as Elementals, ones who can control their elements. Also, Tanner took over Tartarus, and now has it's horde of demons under his power. You know, typical tuesday," Storm deadpanned.

Twilight held her mouth agape. "Well. That's certainly something. You know what? Just deal with it like only you can. I'll make sure nothing gets discovered."

"Thanks!" Storm replied, then galloped out the door, leaving the group alone. Rainbow quickly trailed after him.

"The rest of you can stay here while he's gone," Twilight said. "Knowing him, he'll be back in a week. I'll get the guest beds ready, but Scootaloo, you might want to head home. Your parents went ballistic when you didn't come home last night."

Scootaloo nodded, and trotted out the door. She was NOT looking forward to her next encounter with her parents, and was trying to walk as slowly as possible. She arrived at her home around ten minutes later, and pushed open the door.

She was immediately tackled by her mother.

"Any bruises?" She said quickly.

"Mom, I'm fine," Scootaloo said while trying to break free of her mother's iron grip.

"Where have you been?" Her father asked the filly.

"Storm took me camping," Scootaloo said without thinking.

"Oh, that... I'll kill him!" Her mother exclaimed.

"It's fine! He showed me how to make a fire!" Scootaloo said. Technically, she wasn't lying.

"Fire! When I get my hooves on him I'll-"

"Dear, calm down," Scootaloo's father urged. "We'll talk later, Scootaloo. We have to go chat with Storm." With that, he led his wife out the door, and straight to Storm's house.

Scootaloo figured Storm could weasel out of the spot she'd put him in, and was more worried about herself. Nothing was worth risking the wrath of her parents.

«{[()]}»

At Storm Shadows' house

"STORM!" Scootaloo's mother yelled while kicking Storm's door from it's hinges.

Storm was busying himself with preparations for his journey. "Why, Raining, Stormy, how've you been? Congrats on the foal, by the way."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US YOU WERE TAKING SCOOTALOO CAMPING!"

"Sorry about that, by the way. Take this as a consolation," Storm replied, and trotted over to his closet. He pushed it open, grabbed a bar of solid gold in his muzzle, and placed it on the floor before them.

"Do you realize how much this is worth?" Scootaloo's father asked.

"Don't worry about it. I've got about a hundred more."

They spoke no more, but simply left with their new fortune.

"Hm. Easier than I expected," Storm said to himself. He heard the knock of a hoof on his door, and opened it.

"Can I come in?" Rainbow Dash asked at the door.

"What will the answer to that question always be?" Storm asked rhetorically.

Rainbow stepped inside. "I'm coming with you. Don't try and say no."

"Okay then, I won't. Just let me get the rest of my gear, and we'll be off." He levitated the Conduit's Belt from his closet, and clipped it around his waist. "There, that should do it. Keep in mind that I'll probably have to go Human for what we're gonna deal with."

"Well, duh. I'd be disappointed if you didn't!"

"Great. I'll just-" He was interrupted by an earth-shattering boom outside the home. Both ponies instantly galloped outside, and tried to take in the sight before them.

A demon dozens of feet tall was taking slow steps in the direction of Ponyville, destroying all it touched. It possessed the legs of a goat, a forked tail, a man's torso, and a dragon's wings. It's head was a hideous combination of all of them.

"Don't worry," Storm urged. We can only see it because I'm related to the god of death, and you've got the Element of Loyalty. Nopony else should be able to see it."

"Just kill it so we can get started," Rainbow commanded.

"With pleasure."

Storm placed a shroud around himself as not to draw attention to his magical attack, and charged it up. A demon this big would be hard to kill, which meant Storm had a rare opportunity. He could go full-throttle.

Six discs of white light appeared in the air above him, and all flew at the demon. Each was razor-sharp, easily able to cut through the strongest of metals. However, the monster simply flicked them aside.

"That," Storm said in a negative tone, "Is not a good sign. A god shouldn't have been able to deflect that."

The monster scowled at him, opened it's mouth, and spewed a giant stream of fire directly onto the town. It could have easily incinerated most of the building.

It never reached it's target.

The fire stopped short. It hovered there in midair, unseen by those in the town. Storm looked around to identify the source of the save, and found none other than Scootaloo, concentrating as hard as she could. Keeping all that fire where it was is an incredibly difficult thing, even for somepony naturally in tune with it.

Storm noted her distress, and placed a fireshield above the town. Scootaloo passed out just as he completed the barrier, and it struck harmlessly.

"How'd she see that?" Dash questioned.

"I'll figure that out later. Right now, I have a demon to kill. Brutally, if I have a choice," Storm said, and lifted into the sky.

He flew closer to the demon. "Listen up! I don't know how you blocked the last one, but you sure as my name's Storm Shadows aren't gonna block this one!"

The monster simply grunted, and tried to grab him. He closed his mighty fist around the Pegasus, but found nothing inside. Storm teleported above the demon, and plunged his scythe into it's forehead.

The monster howled in pain, and grasped at the nuisance attacking him. Storm teleported again, this time back to the ground.

"Rainbow!"

"Yeah?"

"Remember the Lunar Blitz?" Stom asked.

"Can't forget it!"

"Meet it's more aggressive brother!"

Storm's eyes narrowed, and he focused his power. "Lunar Barrage."

Thirty different beams of white light shot out from every angle, converging on a single point: the demon. It howled in pain as it was reduced to a stain in the Equestrian soil.

"I will never get tired of that," Rainbow Dash said with a sigh.

"Let's take Scootaloo to the library. Something tells me her ability to see demons went to the others in addition. Something like this just doesn't happen overnight."

The shroud was still up, so Storm teleported the himself, Scootaloo, and Dash to the library.

"I see you took care of things," Twilight said.

"Did the others see it?" Storm asked.

"Didn't everypony?"

"No. Only you, the rest of the bearers, and myself should be able to. But for some reason, the four Elementals also got the ability to see them. Might be a side effect, but it's useful. Wait, I'm stupid. I should have analyzed this back at the portal, when Cyclone killed a cyclops. They all saw it then, why didn't I notice?"

"I'll take Scootaloo home," Twilight offered.

"Please," Storm replied. "I'm just now realizing that I'll have to stay here. The demons can, and will, kill everything in their path to get the elements. They're more powerful than me, and with them, they can level Equestria."

"It seems like everything goes crazy whenever you're involved," Twilight observed. "Rainbow, you're pretty lucky."

"Yeah I am. I've got the only immortal male in Equestria," Rainbow said, nuzzling her coltfriend.

"We've got a big task ahead of us."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Nothing Will Ever Be Quite the Same After Today

Two weeks had passed since the last demon attack, which put everypony on edge. It meant one of two things: they had given up, which was highly unlikely, or were preparing for an incredibly large onslaught.

Rainbow Dash had moved into Storm's home, preferring to be close in case an emergency evacuation took place, among other reasons. The both of them considered this to be the next step in their relationship.

"I'll be back later," Rainbow Dash said as she trotted out the door. "Pinkie said she had something she needs to show me." With that, the mare left. She flew to Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie was excitedly bouncing around.

"Jeez, what's got you so happy?' Dash asked.

"I'm planning a crazy-big party in the town hall, and I need clouds inside!"

"Why?" Dash inquired.

"Don't ask! Just put some clouds in the town hall! Pretty-please?" Pinkie fluttered her eyes for emphasis.

"Fine. I'll get the clouds." Rainbow flew off the gather the clouds. She had learned by now that pretty much everything strange Pinkie does works out in the end, so she just did as she asked, not wanting to know what they were for.

«{[()]}»

Seven hours later, Pinkie's party was about the start. Nopony actually knew what it was for, just that everypony in Ponyville was coming. Pinkie might be strange, but there's no denying that she throws amazing parties regardless of the occasion. Celestia, she could make a funeral fun.

Rainbow Dash had placed the clouds on the ceiling, and Twilight was arranging them in a pattern with a little magic. Pinkie still hadn't told anypony what it was for. Twilight was even just following Pinkie's instructions.

"Can't you just tell us?" Fluttershy asked.

"Nope! It's gotta be surprise!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Come on," Applejack urged.

"I can't tell you!"

"Girls, I imagine that we'll find out shortly," Rarity said in her usual eloquent tone. "There's always a reason for surprise."

"I'm just as lost as everypony else," Dash stated. "I even asked Storm, he doesn't know, and he can read minds."

Pinkie broke into a grin, and galloped away.

"What was that all about?" Twilight wondered.

"Hay if Ah know," Applejack stated.

Pinkie trotted up on stage, and spoke into a microphone. "We're here for a lot of reasons! First off, congratulations to Raining on her foal!"

The audience stomped their hooves on the ground in applause. Everything was grounds for celebration in this town. Raining blushed a bit.

"Rainbow, we have a special guest here for you! Spitfire, come on up! You too, Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie exclaimed. Rainbow couldn't believe her ears. Spitfire was here. In Ponyville.

The two ventured onto the stage, and Rainbow could barely contain her excitement. "Spitfire!" She squeaked.

"I talked to Storm," Spitfire. "He reminded me of what we truly look for when we recruit new Wonderbolts. We don't just look for the speed, but the heart. I should've just put you on the team back at training camp when you saved five ponies, but I didn't. So, as of today, Rainbow Dash is an official member of the Wonderbolts. Here you go, champ." Spitfire pulled a uniform from her saddlebags, and laid it on the ground.

Rainbow was in disbelief. She couldn't speak, only stare in awe at her new uniform.

"See you next sunday for practice, rookie," Spitfire said, and flew back into the crowd.

"Now that that's taken care of, we're moving on the main event!" Pinkie stepped down, and Storm stepped onto the stage.

"You got me into the Wonderbolts!" Rainbow exclaimed, and then embraced Storm.

"Wrong. You got yourself into the Wonderbolts. Nopony's as fast as you."

Rainbow broke of. "Thanks."

"Rainbow, three and a half months ago, I asked you out on our first date, right?" Storm confirmed.

"Yeah?"

"Well, now I think it's time for something else. I don't want to date you anymore."

Rainbow's eyes filled with tears. "What? Why?" The crowd was also in awe of his words.

"Let me finish. I don't want date you. I love you more than anything else, and I want to be with you, now and forever. Rainbow Dash, will you marry me?"

Rainbow's eyes still had tears in them, but these were a different kind. Tears of joy. "Nothing would make me happier."

The two pressed their lips together in a kiss, then separated. The audience all had smiles on their faces, as this was a special day. It had been one long expected by all, of course. They were perfect for eachother.

"I have to plan the wedding!" Pinkie exclaimed, and dashed out the door.

"I forgot to tell her that I already planned it," Storm said. "I knew you wouldn't say no, so I went ahead and set everything up. Celestia agreed to let us get married in Canterlot chapel."

By now, everypony knew that the ego and bravado Rainbow always had was a kind of mask, covering her inner self, so she saw no reason to hide her opinions on the matter. "Wow, I love having royal connections."

"You might have the location set up," Rarity said from behind them. "But you don't have the attire. I'll make you the most splendid dress I've ever made!"

"I need a suit," Storm said.

"That too!" Rarity galloped off to begin her new ventures in design.

Storm and Rainbow stepped down from the stage, and into the crowd. Literally nothing could ruin this moment.

«{[()]}»

One month had passed since the day Storm had proposed to Rainbow Dash, and the wedding was on. It would have been sooner, but Rarity really took her time with the clothing.

Storm was getting dressed in his suit, a pure white tux with a red bowtie. He had insisted upon the bowtie. Twilight had taken it upon herself to invite pretty much everypony they knew as close friends, as she was practically Rainbow Dash's sister. They were extremely close, and all of the bearer's family members would be there, except for Pinkie's. They weren't very close.

Shining armor had been selected as Best Colt, as Storm knew no other Stallion besides Macintosh, and he wasn't very enthralled with the idea. Besides, they had become good friends over the last few months. Storm regularly visited the Crystal Empire, and they went drinking every now and then.

As his clothing was on, and the Conduit surveyed himself in the mirror. He had fought some of the most terrifying things in existence with complete courage, but he was more nervous now than he had been his whole life. Marriage is stressful.

"Stop freaking out," Shining said. "Your wedding can't go worse than my own, and it turned out alright. Something tells me the Changelings won't try again."

"Thanks. Well, I'll be off. Got a wedding to." With that, he left the room, and proceeded into the chapel.

«{[()]}»

Rainbow Dash was in her own room with the rest of the Bearers, as well as Cadence. She was panicking slightly. She may not have really been the egotistical pony most thought her to be, but she was still usually more confident than this. It was similar to her reactions to going on right before the 'Best Young Flyers' competition. She wore her gala dress, extended to fit the occasion.

"Feeling alright, darling?" Rarity asked.

"Couldn't be further from alright," Rainbow said. "Lots of nerves."

"Just remember my wedding!" Cadence urged. "This couldn't possibly go worse!"

"Now that's something Ah could get behind," Applejack agreed.

"I have to get the birds ready," Fluttershy muttered, and slipped out the door.

"This is so EXCITING!" Pinkie shouted.

"I have to admit," Twilight said, "I'm a bit jealous. You've got the only immortal stallion in Equestria, and we're pretty much stuck."

"Thanks," Rainbow Dash said with a sigh. "Okay. Here we go." She pushed open the door, and slowly walked up to the closed doors of the chapel.

"Wait!" Rarity exclaimed. "One last touch!" She levitated her tiara from the Best Young Flyers win onto the bride's head.

"Thanks." The doors were thrown open, revealing a scene not unlike the last wedding they'd been to. Sweetie, Applebloom, and Scootaloo skipped down the aisle, scattering flowers as they went. Fluttershy got the bird choir going, and they sang their tune. Storm was standing at the end of the aisle, grinning like crazy.

Rainbow took her first few tentative steps, and then the next few. Soon, she reached the end of the path, and stood facing her soon-to-be husband.

Celestia herself was doing the ceremony. "We are gathered here today to honor the union of two very well-known ponies. At least, by those here. Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty and the only pony to ever achieve a Sonic Rainboom, and Storm Shadows, the simple Pegasus that moved to Ponyville only months ago. Nopony here has ever seen a match like these two, and we know it."

Neither of them were paying attention, lost in each other's eyes. A hundred thoughts a minute ran through their heads, all about their future.

"Storm Shadows, do you-" Celestia cut herself off. A horrible aura had filled the air, but only a few felt it. Scootaloo, Storm, and the bearers turned their heads upward to try and pinpoint the source.

"Really?" Rainbow Dash muttered. "Today?"

A solid black flash of light exploded in the air above the crowd, and the thing causing it was revealed.

Tanner.

He hovered above the crowd, surveying its members. His eyes came to rest on Storm.

"Well well, would you look at this? Brad's gone and fallen in love with a pony!" He burst out laughing, but only left most of the crowd confused. Only nine of them actually recognized the bastard. "Oh, you didn't! You erased everything!"

Storm's eyes narrowed. "Tanner, don't you even think about it. Nopony deserves to remember what you put them through."

"Guess what? I thought about it. And guess what magic is?" He pointed a hand to toward the crowd. "Thought." Several beams of magic shot from his hand, and hit the foreheads of each and every pony in the crowd. The ones who had kept their memories were unaffected, but those who hadn't were horribly traumatized. The beam returned the lost memories, and all of them fell to the ground in tears. It was too much to take in all at once, especially for the the younger ponies.

Tanner simply waited for them to recover. He laughed the whole time.

The first one to recover was, not surprisingly, Shining Armor. He looked up at the human hovering in air above him, and it hit him. "Sweet Celestia, it's Tanner! The human warbringer!"

"Ding ding!" Tanner shouted in sadistic joy. "How're the memoried treating you?"

"You bastard!"

The rest of the crowd began to slowly get back up, and look at the man before them.

"Then I suppose you know who I am?" Storm asked. All of them shook their heads. Storm sighed. "I did better with the disguise than I thought. Rainbow, sorry. I have to fight this one."

"I know. I'll be right here when you get back," Rainbow replied.

"And you know I'll be back. All of you, maybe this will help you figure it out." A thick white fog enveloped him, spinning around and around. Then a burst of light shot the fog away, revealing the stallion's Human form. He once more wore his white clothing, and his form was crackling with energy.

All of them were in too much shock to answer. Their whole world had changed in just seconds, so you can't really blame them.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a party!" Tanner exclaimed. "First, I'll just ruin a few things!" He waved his hand, and the other three Elementals appeared in the room. They stood next to Scootaloo, wondering what was going on, until they looked up. "Just add a hiding ward," A black aura enveloped the foals, then disappeared, "And off they go!"

The four were teleported away.

"WHERE'D YOU SEND THEM?!" Storm demanded of him.

"They'll make their way back. For now, they're on a little trip, and I can do this!" He raised his hands upward, and the roof was ripped off by an incredibly large demon. It was just a large version of Tanner. "This is one of the best demons in Tartarus, about our level! If you can best it, I won't level Equestria!"

Storm scowled. He knew the man very well could follow through on his threats.

"Bye now!" Tanner disappeared.

"Everypony run!" Storm commanded, and got as he asked. Everypony ran from the hall, but the bearers stayed. "I knew you guys would stay. If I give the signal, blast him with the Elements." As if on cue, the Elements appeared on their respective bearers. "This'll only take a second."

The large Tanner threw back his head, let out an evil laugh, and brought his fist down on the Conduit. Storm gathered his strength for a counter. You see, a Conduit's strength isn't just magic. He can use that magic to increase his physical abilities exponentially.

The mighty fist collided with Storm, but he simply braced himself and stopped it. The demon looked confused as he drew back his arm.

"Wrong move, dumbass," Storm mocked. Large white wings appeared on his back, and he lifted into the sky. He hovered at eye level of the demon. He extended a hand, and a ball of energy formed at his fingertips. "Look, there's one thing you need to know about me, if you can talk. I'm the most powerful thing in existence, if what Tanner said is true. I'm basically a God in Pegasus form. But when I'm like this, I'm that much stronger. I have more control."

The ball of energy instantly grew to a size equal to that of the monster's head.

"And you ruined my wedding day. That makes me angry."

The ball grew more so.

"I've said this a few times before, but I'll repeat it again."

The ball got even bigger.

"You never make a fully realized Conduit mad."

The ball shot forward at incredible speeds, a mass of pure energy capable of destroying Canterlot if the energy wero to be released. The demon; however, had a different idea.

It opened it's mouth, and swallowed the ball whole. It's jaw unhinged like a snake, but it just ate it.

"Nothing should have been able to take that!" Storm exclaimed.

Normally, when a giant moves, it's movements seem slow to smaller creatures, but it moved with speed equivalent to Storm's. It punched Storm downwards, right back into the chapel. Storm was moving too fast, and was unable to slow down. He collided with the hard floor, and broke where he landed.

Rainbow Dash immediately got to his side. She placed hoof against his neck to take a pulse, but felt nothing. She waited for a few seconds, and finally felt the little thump of a pulse.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and surveyed his body for injuries. He was barely breathing, and probably wouldn't last much longer. His arms and legs had broken on impact, as well as most of his ribs.

Storm opened his eyes, using his last bits of consciousness. "Rainbow?"

"Yes?" The mare replied.

"I can't feel my legs."

The mare's eyes watered a bit. The impact had broken his spine. He could heal it, but it would take months. He wouldn't be able to fight the demon, or kill Tanner. Again.

"Storm?" Rainbow asked, but her groom had passed out. She looked up at the grinning demon, tears in her eyes. She spread her wings, and took of. Her progress was hindered by Applejack biting on her tail.

"Hold up there!" Applejack ordered. "Ya'll can't fight this thing," She said through closed teeth.

"Let me go!" Rainbow demanded.

"No can do, sugarcube."

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. She set her hooves on the ground, and looked at Storm. He had regained consciousness, but was fading fast.

"Then I guess I have no choice," Rainbow said. "Storm, I hope you'll forgive me for lying all through our relationship." She spread her wings once more, and prepared for takeoff. Applejack jumped at her, but collided with nothing.

Rainbow had teleported.

She looked at the astonished looks of her friends and husband, and smiled. She lifted into the air, and zoomed upwards into the Demon's jaw. It's head was knocked backwards at the force of attack, and it looked at her in surprise. Just minutes ago, Rainbow Dash had little to no power. Now, it was rising at incredible speeds.

Rainbow stared daggers at her opponent. "You've just made the biggest mistake of the last few seconds of your life." She planted her hooves on invisible ground, and concentrated her attack. "RAINBOW BLITZ!"

A gigantic rainbow-colored beam of magic shot from the air in front of her, and struck the demon's face. It faded, revealing it's decapitated form. It's body fell, and a crack opened up in the ground, swallowed it up, and closed. Rainbow flew back to the ground, and landed in front of her amazed friends.

"Rainbow," Storm said weakly. "You're a... Conduit?"

"Yeah. Sorry I didn't tell anypony, but my Mom told me not to," Rainbow supplied.

"Why?" Storm asked. He had already knitted the bones, and was working on the spine. He had reverted to his Pegasus form.

"I'm not like you. Your god relatives span more years than I can count, but my mom's a goddess. I'm the daughter of-"

"A very angry mother," A voice said from behind them all. There stood a mare sporting the same colors as Rainbow Dash, but with an irate look on her face.

"Mom, I saved the city! Doesn't that count for anything?" Rainbow Dash complained.

"You're too powerful to use them! We only let Storm use them because he worked for it! You had them handed to you!" The mare scolded.

"Wait, Rokon told me about you," Storm said. "He said you're a bitch."

"Why that- I'll kill him when he regenerates!"

"You're the only goddess with an Equestrian-style name! You're-"

"Lightdancer, yes. I'm the goddess of light and life, gave life to the land, blah blah blah. I've heard it all before," The mare said.

"Let her go," Storm requested.

"What?! I specifically told her not to use her power until I trained her, and she did it anyway!"

"If it weren't for her, I'd be dead," Storm said.

"And the rest of Equestria," Rainbow muttered.

"Point taken. And you!" She faced Storm. "Is it lost in your generation to ask a lady's mother for her hand?"

"She said she didn't have parents," Storm defended.

Lightdancer looked appalled. "You told him I didn't exist?!"

"You told me not to tell anypony I was a goddess' daughter!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Oh, right." Lightdancer blushed.

"Can somepony help me up?" Storm asked, but got no reply.

Lightdancer simply continued on. "You better treat my daughter right!"

"Help me!" Storm shouted.

"I swear I'll castrate you with a cactus if you so much as flirt with another mare!" Lightdancer exclaimed.

"Fine, I'll do it myself!" Storm lifted himself into the air with a little magic, and set himself on the ground. A magical aura enveloped his lower half, and he manipulated it to walk.

"Sorry," Rainbow apologized.

"And another thing!" Lightdancer tried to add.

"Get out of here!" Rainbow shouted, and the goddess disappeared.

"So, what do we do now?" Storm wondered out loud.

"I have an idea," Celestia said. She stepped forward. "Storm Shadows, do you take Rainbow Dash to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

The couple smiled, torn wedding getups and all. "I do," Storm replied.

"And do you, Rainbow Dash, take Storm Shadows to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

She smiled. "I do."

"Then you are wed. You may kiss the bride," Celestia said.

The two edged closer, and their lips touched. The kiss lasted for a whole minute, then they separated.

The two became one this day.


End file.
